Also, this. Wow.

Not apologizing, asserting the right to be nice. When the lines:

and some say what defines us
is something as simple as please and thank you
and as for you’re welcome
well we say that too

... received a rousing ovation, a profoundly absurd socio-cultural moment was reached. Watershed.

And although Neil wasn't on the list... musically the best moment for me was Mitchell's croaky old-version voice doing Both Sides Now. Most of the music was pap, but k.d. laing butchering Hallelujah was the worst.

I'm moving to Canada.

Well said. Clearly, you, Dumpjack, jsh... who else?... represent Canada better than some "poet." And I don't think I've ever heard ANY of you apologize for being who you are or pontificate on/defend stupid stereotypes about Canadians. The fact is, Canadians are just as creative, complex, interesting, and intelligent as any other country of people, and you sure as hell didn't need the "poet" to explain that.

It is a shame that they didn't expound on the profound Asian influence in Vancouver either.

Exhibit 19875A of The Material Writing Itself

the song that should have been performed instead of the Bryan Adams crapfest:

Gar, just like the republican pundit you aspire to be, you're taking a false supposition in your opening statement (ie: "just as we all would have expected"), and then using it as a fulcrum to mock reasonable criticism. Save that shit for when you're a CNN talking head and you're paid to cynically erode your own country's principles for personal gain.

The phrase in question ("just as we all would have expected") actually applies to WHAT VANOC DID in the opening ceremonies, which is present an expected and accepted stereotype. The notion of integrating the Asian population (which, in Vancouver, outnumbers the Caucasian population) would better be described as "what we all would NOT expect". Bit of a difference there.

But talk even louder and I'm sure we'll submit to your way of thinking.

So awesome.


On the upside, at least they didn't trot out Nickelback.

Nor did they let Anne Murray sing.

Pull the Maple Leaf out of your ass and wipe the syrup from your ears. That was actually just poor editing by me. The "Just as we all would have expected" replied to your grousing, moping, and sucking on a cum-cycle over something that everybody in the entire country of Canada, and all the 400 million rubes around the world who would even bother watching something as soul suckingly stupid and downright pointless "pageantry" as an Olympic opening in the first place knew would happen.

You see, the Olympics, while usually based in a single city, are also hosted by a country, sometimes a large and diverse country where, though all the people don't always get along, and all the cultures aren't exactly the same, are still bonded by some form of common governance and history.

Which is probably why your COUNTRY, like I said in the beginning, decided to not just show Rich Hope, and some Azns, much to your entirely predictable dismay.

I was sort of gigging Dana for her newfound patriotic glee and regional pride for Vancouver, but not all of Canada - but if you'd like to turn this into a full on intellectual debate over the merits of why the host committee did what it did, I am sure by your immediate response that you will lose, because you're refusing to acknowledge the point of my original post.

damn, that luge thing. huge bummer.

That torch-lighting was cursed. Don Cherry should have been one of the four.

Sheez, Opening Ceremonies are basically Broadway Theatre stadium style - What the fack do you expect? They're always about one step of spectacle above the Lion King. Although, Brian Adams and Nelly Furtado was pretty fail.

Not to mention, Vancouver is getting a shit ton of "International City" press clippings out of this. The worst thing that could happen is that the Olympics would actually do a good job of selling Vancouver, then you'd have a bunch of assholes moving there.

And as my professor wisely said,"These aren't actors, they're Canadians."

And sometimes hurricanes are hilarious.

Huh?

DJ, I thought you were in chatzy when I told the story of my professor who for some reason prefaced a film she was showing us with, "these are not actors, they're canadians." I just thought it was funny and I was throwing a chatzy reference out there. No harm intended. The only real point I was trying to make was that Olympic Opening Ceremonies (especially Winter Games) are pretty lame regardless of host country. I think we should all have lowered expectations.

I live in a state inhabited by exiled Canadians. I've got nothing but love.

I was hoping Jennifer Heil would get gold in the moguls, but silver is a great start for Canada. Congrats to Hannah Kearney.

It must be why I love your cooking so very, very much. It's in the blood.

I think the only reason we even turned on a minute of it was because the China opening ceremony was just so damn cool, but that was likely a once in a lifetime event as far as these things go.

And yes, beware the curse of being an Olympic City: 1996 is pretty much when the traffic took over Atlanta for good and it hasn't let up since. Also, stupid people from the Rust Belt, Midwest and Northeast moving here and complaining. Forget the blacks, we should have turned our fire hoses and German Shepherd's on those fuckers.

Oh, and the moguls skiing was awesome last night: America, fuck yeah!

You're doing it again. I haven't said that the ceremonies were supposed to entirely ignore the country - but it should have offered a west coast slant on the country instead of those tired old cliches AND it should have given some indication of the distinct culture of the host city. The closest it got to the latter was letting an openly gay bull dyke in a Tom Wolfe suit wring the life out of a creepy ass anti-hymn written by a sodomizing monk...

okay, maybe that portion of the program worked.

Rich Hope would've been good too though.

I finally saw a clip of the "Bull Dyke in a Tom Wolfe Suit" portion of the proceedings...wow.

This has gone unmentioned or maybe I missed it, but that 16 y.o. who sang "Oh Canada" has got some nice pipes er, sings pretty.

Monkey slayed! Congrats Alex Bilodeau on getting gold in mens moguls!

That is incredibly too soon.